Before the NHL season was put on pause, Rangers forward Artemi Panarin was having an unbelievable first season in New York. 

The left winger was third in the NHL in points with 95 while tied for second in assists with 63. With the Rangers surging towards a potential Wild Card spot (just two points back when the action was stopped), Panarin and Mika Zibanejad were leading the way.

Now, Panarin is like the rest of us: at home and doing a good job of practicing social distancing.

So what's an elite player like Panarin to do during a time like this? Turns out, the answer is work around the house.

SNY contributor Julie Stewart-Binks is here for our latest edition of "Out of Office Replies," explaining who her favorite current athletes are in New York, Canadian currency, and also showing off some impressive vocal skills.

In the NHL's latest guidelines in regards to the coronavirus pandemic, the league looked ahead to when they hope to return to action. 

The CDC is strongly recommending that no gatherings of 50 or more people take place for the next eight weeks. So, in compliance with that, the league is hoping to open "a training camp period roughly 45 days into the 60-day period." 

The league's notice added that once the self-quarantine period is over, allowing teams to open up their facilities for "scheduled and coordinated small groups for voluntary training and care" can occur. 

The Rangers have reportedly signed defenseman K'Andre Miller to an entry-level contract, according to USA Today's Vince Z. Mercogliano.

Miller was taken with the 22nd pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and played two seasons at the University of Wisonsin-Madison.

The 20-year old defenseman scored seven goals and dished out 11 assists for the Badgers this season. He also served as an alternate captain for Team USA in the World Juniors in Czech Republic, where the United States finished in sixth place.

The day after the NHL announced that it would be pausing the season due to the coronavirus outbreak, with the hope of resuming games when "appropriate and prudent," Commissioner Gary Bettman discussed how the league might proceed.

"We're going to have to rely on others as to when it's safe, which is why people can speculate but nobody can predict with certainty (when the return will be)," Bettman said, according to Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com. "Nobody knows how long the hiatus may be. Nobody, even the medical community, can predict it with certainty. And what we're doing is, we're modeling every conceivable alternative so that when it's appropriate to go back to work, we will know what our options (are)."

Adding that the league doesn't know "what the pieces are yet," Bettman said they're trying to "model every conceivable alternative."

In response to the coronavirus outbreak that has gripped the world -- with 1,701 known cases and 40 deaths in the United States as of Friday morning -- Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, and the National Basketball Association were among the major sports leagues to suspend/pause operations over the last 48 hours.

Here's how the back pages in New York City reacted on Friday...

After the NBA's decision Wednesday night to suspend the season due to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, the NHL followed suit Thursday afternoon.

The NHL announced before Thursday's games that it would be pausing the season with the hope of resuming games when "appropriate and prudent."

Along with the NBA and NHL, most NCAA conference tournaments have been cancelled, and MLB is expected to suspend operations on Friday.

The Rangers have surged into playoff contention. Here's everything you need to know about the state of the Wild Card race...

Hurricanes (38-25-5, 81 points: Tied for first Wild Card)

Next up: @ Devils, Thursday at 7 p.m.
Latest result: 5-2 win vs. Red Wings on Tuesday
Games remaining: 14
Current odds to make playoffs: 79.3 percent

The Rangers have surged into playoff contention. Here's everything you need to know about the state of the Wild Card race...

Hurricanes (38-25-5, 81 points: Tied for first Wild Card)

Next up: @ Devils, Thursday at 7 p.m.
Latest result: 5-2 win vs. Red Wings on Tuesday
Games remaining: 14
Current odds to make playoffs: 78.1 percent

Mika Zibanejad continued his hot scoring streak Tuesday night as the Rangers faced the Dallas Stars, scoring a goal in the first period.

After getting the puck into the net Tuesday night, Zibanejad not only made it 10 goals in the last five games and 16 goals in 12 games, but he also managed to become the first Ranger since the 2014-2015 campaign to reach 40 goals in a season since Rick Nash scored 42 that year.

Zibanejad has now scored in 11 of the last 12 Ranger games, becoming the second Ranger to do so (Andy Bathgate in 1962-63). His run included a five-goal night in an overtime win over the Capitals last Thursday.

Just 10 days after suffering a broken foot against the Flyers, Rangers LW Chis Kreider was out of his protective boot and back on the ice on Tuesday.

Click below to see...

The Rangers and K'Andre Miller are "engaged in dialogue" regarding the 2018 first-round pick leaving college to turn pro, per The Post's Larry Brooks.

Miller has been playing at Wisconsin, but after losing to Ohio State in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament, the defenseman seems to be thinking about the next chapter in his hockey life.

The 22nd overall pick in that 2018 NHL Draft, Miller would likely come in on an entry-level contract -- just like Michigan State F Patrick Khodorenko agreed to as a free agent on Tuesday -- and play for the Hartford Wolf Pack on a professional tryout. 

Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad was named the NHL's First Star of the Week, for the week ending on March 8, by the league on Monday. 

Zibanejad highlighted the league's play with seven goals in three games. On Thursday, Zibanejad netted five of those goals in a 6-5 overtime win versus the Washington Capitals, one of which was the game-winning goal. 

Zibanejad was the first player since the Detroit Red Wings' Sergei Fedorov in 1996 to net five goals, one of which being the game-winning goal. Zibanejad and Fedorov are the only two players in league history to pull of that feat. 

The Rangers have surged into playoff contention. Here's everything you need to know about the state of the Wild Card race...

Hurricanes (37-25-5, 79 points: Tied for first Wild Card)

Next up: @ Red Wings, Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Latest result: 6-2 win vs. Penguins on Sunday
Games remaining: 15
Current odds to make playoffs: 70.4 percent

The Rangers have surged into playoff contention. Here's everything you need to know about the state of the Wild Card race...

Blue Jackets (32-21-15, 79 points: One point ahead for first Wild Card)

Next up: @ Oilers, Saturday at 10 p.m. 
Latest result: 3-2 loss to the Flames on Wednesday in overtime
Games remaining: 14
Current odds to make playoffs: 36.7 percent

Mika Zibanejad's historic five-goal night propelled the Rangers to an unforgettable 6-5 overtime win over the Washington Capitals. 

In a back-and-forth, playoff-type game, Zibanejad scored his first goal in the first and his second goal in the second. In the third period, Zibanejad's hat-trick goal gave the Rangers a 4-3 lead, only to be answered by Alex Ovechkin to tie the game. 

Then, in the game's final two minutes Zibanejad's fourth goal, a power-play tally, once again gave the Rangers a lead, only for Ovechkin to match again.

The Rangers came up on the short end of a 3-1 game against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night, a game that head coach David Quinn said was played with a playoff-type tone.

"That was a big-boy hockey game right there," said Quinn. "There wasn't a lot of room out there. There was a playoff feel to it."

Taking on the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Rangers played the Blues to a 1-1 tie through the first two periods. But midway through the third, Brayden Schenn was able to score on a bad-angle, wraparound shot, as Alexandar Georgiev was taken by surprise, allowing the easy goal.

After winning five straight games, the Rangers dropped back-to-back contests to the Flyers, allowing five goals in each of the two defeats.

As his team prepares to host the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, head coach David Quinn knows it's time to refocus.

"We've been through a tough stretch," Quinn said. "We've won a lot of hockey games lately. So don't get discouraged, kind of press the reset button and get back after it tomorrow. We had a good day today, I really liked our energy in practice."

"That's a tough team to play against," Mika Zibanejad said of the Blues." They won for a reason last year. You can tell when you play against them. It's a really good hockey team so we just have to be ready." 

While the Rangers have struggled in the standings at times this season, forward Artemi Panarin has not in producing points.

Panarin is having a career-best season and for his efforts, he's one of the leading candidates for the NHL's MVP Award this year, the Hart Trophy. 

Panarin clocked in with the fourth-best odds to land the hardware at +800 odds on Monday. 

After the Rangers' 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday afternoon, veteran goalie Henrik Lundqvist talked to the media about how impressed he's been with the team in recent weeks.

"The most important thing now is to try to work hard, and be ready when you do get an opportunity," Lundqvist said. "We're still in a very interesting spot. I'm so impressed with the guys what they've done here over the last few weeks, and put this team in a position to maybe make the playoffs."

The Rangers are currently trailing the Columbus Blue Jackets by two points for the second wild-card spot. 

The Rangers franchise-record nine game road winning streak came to an end on Friday night in Philadelphia, as New York fell to the Flyers 5-2.

Not only did the Rangers come away with no points to help their playoff chase, but they also lost Chris Kreider to a fractured foot in the first quarter.

The loss of Kreider, whom the team held on to at the trade deadline and signed to a seven-year extension, seemed to impact the team, as Philadelphia scored five straight goals after trailing 1-0 in the game's first few minutes.

Rangers left wing Chris Kreider suffered a fractured foot in the first period of Friday night's game against the Philadelphia Flyers and will not return, the team announced.

Kreider had just signed a seven-year deal worth $6.5 million per year on Monday, Feb. 24.

Trade rumors had been going on with Kreider for weeks, as the Rangers and his team couldn't find an agreement on an extension. Before he and the Rangers agreed to a deal, teams like the Bruins, Blues, Golden Knights, and Avalanche were among the reported eight teams interested in acquiring him.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau's Islanders debut was quite a memorable one, but it was overshadowed by another stellar Artemi Panarin effort as the Rangers topped the Islanders 4-3 in overtime on Long Island.

In his first game since being acquired in a deadline deal and then signed to a six-year extension with his new team, Pageau scored his 25th goal of the season and also was involved in a fight, picking up a game misconduct and leaving the loss early.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau records his first goal as an Islander 🚨pic.twitter.com/959JB4MHRa

Tags: Alexander Georgiev, Mika Zibanejad

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Henrik Lundqvist's future with the Rangers was up in the air as the NHL trade deadline approached on Monday, but that wasn't on his mind in the slightest. 

Instead, the news of the car accident involving fellow goalie Igor Shesterkin and C Pavel Buchnevich was the main topic of concern for the Rangers at practice. Luckily, no one was severely injured, but team president John Davidson told reporters earlier that Shesterkin suffered a non-displaced rib fracture, while Buchnevich was considered day-to-day after being "quite shaken up."

"It's been a weird day today," Lundqvist said. "The energy, obviously, for different reasons but first concern is obviously how they feel and everything is under control. Yeah, it's scary always when you hear something like that."

The NHL trade deadline has passed, but the Rangers got a deal done with the Hurricanes just in time. 

Brady Skjei is headed to Carolina in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick, team president John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton confirmed after the 3 p.m. deadline on Monday. Gorton said the NHL is obviously backed up trade processing at the moment, but the deal is set to go through soon. 

The Hurricanes have Toronto's first-round pick in addition to their own, and will have the option of choosing which pick to send to the Rangers when the season is over.

Chris Kreider is staying in New York.

Ahead of the NHL trade deadline on Monday, Rangers team president John Davidson announced a seven-year extension has been reached between both sides. According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, the deal is worth $6.5 million per year. 

Trade rumors have been swirling around Kreider for weeks now, as the Rangers and his team couldn't find an agreement on an extension with the 28-year-old set to be a free agent after the season.

Rangers team president John Davidson told reporters on Monday morning that G Igor Shesterkin and C Pavel Buchnevich were both involved in a car accident in Brooklyn on Sunday night. 

Davidson said the airbags deployed properly and both players were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident. Shesterkin was driving the car and "apparently a vehicle pulled a U-turn in front of them and there was a collision."

They were both admitted to the New York Presbyterian where Shesterkin was diagnosed with a non-displaced rib fracture. He will be reassessed in a couple weeks.

After a report Friday afternoon said that the Rangers made Chris Kreider their "priority" to extend ahead of Monday's 3 p.m. NHL trade deadline, they are now "likely" trading the 28-year-old left wing.

In what has been an eventful month between the Rangers and Kreider throughout the past few weeks leading up to the deadline, the two sides appear primed for a split.

The Rangers and Kreider's representatives were unable to agree on a contract extension as of Sunday evening, making the two sides head for a split, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported.

Artemi Panarin recorded his 400th point of his NHL career, Mika Zibanejad tallied three points, and the Rangers topped the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Friday night.

With the win, the Rangers have now won six of their last seven games, and they continue to creep back into the Wild Card picture.

With the game tied 1-1 in the second period, Panarin picked up an assist as he and Jesper Fast tried to run a give-and-go. Fast's pass back towards Panarin deflected into the net, and with Fast's goal, Panarin picked up the 400th point of his five-year career.

In the first two minutes of the third period, Panarin would score a goal of his own, his 31st of the season, giving him his 23rd multi-point game of the season. He is now tied for fourth in the NHL with 81 points on the season, and his 31 goals also rank among the league's leaders. 

The Rangers have made it their "priority" to sign Chris Kreider to an extension rather than trade him, according to a Friday afternoon report from Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

They have work to do before Monday's 3 p.m. deadline -- Brooks notes that the two sides still have to "bridge the gap" -- but the Blueshirts appear to have a clear preference in mind.

Kreider, 28, is set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1. The left wing has spent his entire career with the Rangers after he became the 2009 NHL Entry Draft's No. 19 overall pick in the first round.

Only a few days remain before the 3 p.m. NHL trade deadline passes this coming Monday, and the Rangers' mindset regarding their current roster is a little foggy. In recent seasons, players like Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes were moved, but the same can't be said now for New York.

One player in particular that has garnered tons of trade interest is Chris Kreider. The 28-year-old is a free agent after this season, and TSN's Pierre LeBrun has reported that eight teams had Kreider on their trade list. But, unlike the players mentioned before, the Rangers are open to contract extension talks with the veteran winger. 

And, according to The Athletic's Rick Carpiniello, the team is still discussing a new contract with Kreider's agent, Matt Keator. To what extent those talks have gone is still unknown. 

Much of the talk about the Rangers as the team heads towards the NHL trade deadline has been about the team looking to trade away one of their goaltenders.

But the team did just the opposite on Wednesday night, acquiring goaltender J-F Berube from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for future considerations.

The Rangers currently have Igor Shesterkin, Henrik Lundqvist, and Alexandar Georgiev on the roster, meaning the move to acquire Berube is likely more just about organizational depth at the position.

Berube, 28, did not appear with the Flyers this season, spending all of his time in the minors. Overall, he's played just 34 NHL games over three seasons with the Islanders and Chicago Blackhawks, posting a 3.39 GAA and a .898 save percentage.

In recent years, rumors swirling around the Rangers moving players at the NHL trade deadline was common. However, head coach David Quinn doesn't get that feel at the moment. 

"It's a definite different feel than it was last year at this time," he told reporters on Wednesday. "I think you could feel it more and there was a lot of anticipation and there was a lot of certainty that guys could be moved, at least within in the locker room and it affected us. We don't feel that now."

The Rangers made a minor trade on Tuesday, acquiring F Julien Gauthier from the Hurricanes for D Joey Keane. But that didn't impact the big club. 

With the NHL trade deadline less than a week away, the Rangers have already made a move by acquiring forward prospect Julien Gauthier from the Hurricanes, the team announced on Tuesday. 

In exchange for the 22-year-old, the Rangers are sending defenseman prospect Joey Keane to Carolina. 

The Hurricanes' first-round pick in 2016, Gauthier has spent the first five games of his NHL career with the big club this season, where he has an assist and a 2 plus-minus. His last trip up to the Hurricanes was back in December. 

During the Rangers' loss to the Bruins on Sunday night, Ryan Lindgren got into it with Brad Marchand following the veteran forward cross-checking the young defenseman after a whistle blew a Boston forecheck dead. 

The play would lead to Marchand taking a penalty as well as a Pavel Buchnevich cross-check that sent Marchand to the ice along with Lindgren. But Marchand also took it further than just that incident, calling out Lindgren -- a former Boston second-round pick -- during his post-game interview. 

"I didn't even know he was here," Marchand told The Post's Peter Botte. "He's not gonna be a player who's gonna have a very long career, so I'm not overly concerned about him."

Kreider, who is in the final year of a four-year deal worth just over $18 million and is set to hit unrestricted free agency on July 1, will almost certainly be dealt by the Rangers before the deadline if an extension can't be reached.

As the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. looms, questions continue to surface regarding what the Rangers plan to do with left wing Chris Kreider.

After missing Monday's 5-3 loss to the Stars at Madison Square Garden with an upper-body injury that he suffered during Saturday's 1-0 road win over the Red Wings, Kreider is close to a return, Rangers head coach David Quinn said. But other teams are calling.

With Kreider set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, eight teams are interested in the eighth-year pro, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported Monday. In fact, those eight teams, according to LeBrun, have Kreider at the top of their wish list as they contact the Rangers.

For the first time in over two years, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist recorded a shutout, as New York defeated the Red Wings 1-0 on Satuuday night.

Lundqvist saved 33 shots in Detroit on Saturday and played well down the stretch. Mika Zibanejad scored a power play goal midway through the first period, so the longtime Rangers goalkeeper managed to maintain his composure and help the Rangers hold the lead until the final horn.

The last time Lundqvist had a shut out was back on Nov. 19, 2017, when the Rangers defeated the Senators 3-0. In that matchup -- which was 122 appearances ago for Lundqvist -- he pulled off the shutout on just 20 saves.

The Rangers announced on Sunday that they have loaned Lias Andersson to HV71 of the Sweedish Hockey League.

Andersson has played in 17 games with the Rangers this season, while also playing in 13 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL.

He was selected by the Rangers with the seventh overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. In 66 career NHL games, Andersson recorded three goals and six assists.

After Artemi Panarin was scratched from Tuesday night's 4-2 loss to the Islanders due to an upper-body injury, he'll now miss this weekend's All-Star Game in St. Louis as well.

Panarin will be replaced by Rangers teammate Chris Kreider, who will represent the Blueshirts among the NHL's best.

Panarin has missed two Rangers' practices recently with what's being described as an upper-body injury.

Playing without superstar Artemi Panarin in the lineup, the Rangers fell to the Islanders 4-2 on Tuesday night at Madison Garden.

Panarin has missed two Rangers' practices recently with what's being described as an upper-body injury, and he was announced as a scratch shortly before Tuesday's game.

Playing in his first season with the Blueshirts, Panarin ranks fifth in the NHL with 68 points, including 26 goals.

With the loss, the Rangers will take a 23-21-4 record into the All-Star break, while the Islanders finish the first half with a record of 29-15-5.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly among the teams inquiring about New York Rangers goalie Alexander Georgiev.

According to TSN's Darren Dreger, no offer has been made from the Leafs and the Rangers would want a lot back for Georgiev if they were to move him.

The Leafs currently sit at No. 6 in the east and are looking to make a move that will send them up the ranks and secure a playoff spot for themselves. 

Artemi Panarin led the way for the Rangers, scoring two goals and notching three assists, in a 6-2 win over the Islanders at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

The first matchup of the season between the bitter rivals got off to a wild start, as Jordan Eberle got the Islanders on the board on the very first shift of the night, corraling a loose puck and showing great patience to find the net just 18 seconds into the contest.

Just two minutes later, it briefly turned into Fight Night at The Garden. Ross Johnston and Micheal Haley -- each team's resident tough guys -- dropped the gloves at 2:13 of the first. Before the puck could be dropped for the ensuing faceoff, Matt Martin and Brendan Smith also fought, resulting in game misconducts in addition to the fighting majors.

Tony DeAngelo recorded a hat trick, Igor Shesterkin made 46 saves, and the Rangers doubled up the Devils 6-3 at the Garden on Thursday night.

The first period saw five goals scored, with Artemi Panarin, who has been nothing short of fantastic in his first season with the Rangers, scoring his 24th goal of the season to get the action started. DeAngelo and Chris Kreider then lit the lamp to put the Rangers up 3-1, but Blake Coleman scored for the Devils with under two minutes to play in the period to bring New Jersey back within a goal at 3-2.

Coleman scored again in the second, his 15th goal of the season, to tie the game at 3-3, when DeAngelo took over. The 24-year-old recorded his 10th and 11th goals of the year in the second period, giving him a hat trick and giving the Rangers a two-goal lead.

As the Rangers welcomed the Colorado Avalanche to the Garden on Tuesday, Igor Shesterkin made his first career NHL start between the pipes for the home team. 

Despite facing an early 2-0 deficit, the Rangers fought back to come away with a 5-3 win.

Less than five minutes into the game, the Avs struck first, after a shot from the point was deflected past Shesterkin by JT Compher, as Colorado scored on their very first shot on goal of the game. 

The Rangers announced on Monday that top goalie prospect Igor Shesterkin was recalled from Hartford, and now head coach David Quinn has taken things a step further. 

Quinn told SNY's Chris Williamson after practice that Shesterkin will make his NHL debut by starting in net against the Avalanche at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. 

The 24-year-old has been an absolute brick wall in the AHL this season, leading the entire league in goals against average at 1.93. He also ranks second in wins and save percentage, which is at .932 thus far. Shesterkin's performance had him selected to play in the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic. 

Earlier this week, Artemi Panarin was named to the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, and he took home another league honor on Thursday, as he was named the league's third star for the month of the December.

In 14 games this month, Panarin has recorded 10 goals, two of which were game-winners, to go along with 12 assists. In his last three game alone, Panarin has recorded 10 points, including a four-point effort against Edmonton on Tuesday.

Dating back even further, Panarin has recorded at least one point in 15 of the Rangers' previous 19 contests.